Trolley hoist



Dec. 15, 1936. R, A. NORBOM TROLLEY HOI ST Filed May 29, 1934 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 15, 1936. R N B M 2,063,943

TROLLEY HOI S T Filed May 29, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 III.

/ I/ l x I m 16%? $Mw W I R. A. NORBOM 2,063,943-

TROLLEY HOI ST Dec. 15, 1936.

Filed May 29, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1i REVERSE OFF A!}EAD Hrq. 11

Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNE'EED STATES PATEN? QFFICE TROLLEY HOIST Ragnar A. Norbom,

Clifton, N. 3., assignor to Application May 29, 1934, Serial No. 728,089

16 Claims.

This invention relates to a traveling crane having four depending cables arranged in pairs and adapted to suspend. a load at four spaced points, raise it and transport it, and particularly such a crane combined with means for laterally shifting either pair of the cables relative to the other pair. Such a mechanism is very useful in transferring demountable bodies from one vehicle to another, as it enables substantially vertical cables 10 to readily be engaged to a demountable body standing obliquely to the crane support. The invention enables the body to be lowered directly into engagement with a truck frame, for instance, or raised vertically therefrom, though the frame be at somewhat of an oblique angle to the normal position of the cables.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a hoisting trolleying mechanism which shall be extremely flexible in operation, to the end that bodies may be readily transferred one vehicle to another even though such vehicles stand obliquely to each other and to the normal position of the traveling crane. I accomplish this by employing two frames directly supported by independent crane trackways and interconnected by a comparatively light bridge, each of the frames being independently movable relative to each other and to the bridge, and carrying a substantially standard driving axle construction similar to those of automobile trucks but with cable drums in place of the usual automobile wheels and with the differential blocked to prevent independent movement of the axle sections. A motor is mounted on the bridge and drivingly connected with each. of the blocked differentials.

My invention is in the nature of a modification of, or improvement on, a weaving traveling crane of Benjamin F. Fitch, for which application Ser. No. 727,320 was filed on May 24th, 1934 and assigned to my assignee, Motor Terminals Company. Reference is made to the patent to be granted on that application for claims which may apply to both the embodiment there shown and the embodiment of this application.

My invention is illustrated in the drawings hereof, is hereinafter more fully explained in connection therewith, and the essential novel characteristics are set out in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a plan partly broken .30 away of a traveling crane embodying my invention: Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections thereof on the lines 2-4.. and 3-3 respectively in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an end view partially in section; Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical sections on the planes indicated by the lines 55 and 6-6 on Fig. 4 but on a materially larger scale; Fig. '7 is a horizontal section on the plane indicated by the line 1-4 on Fig. 4 but on a larger scale; Figs. 8 and 9 are details illustrating the connection of the bridge with the individual trolley hoists, being respectively a plan of parts illustrated on a smaller scale in Fig. 1 and a section on the line 9-9 on Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic end elevation illustrating the hoisting mechanism in the act of raising a demountable body from a highway truck; Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating a barrel controller which might be used to control the propelling motors for trolleying and weaving, Fig. 11 being a plan of the controller, Fig. 1?. being a fragmentary vertical section therethrough, as indicated by the lines I2-I2 on Fig. 11, and Fig. 13

eing a diagram of the electrical circuits.

In the drawings, l0 and H indicate a pair of parallel supporting rails shown as of I-beam form. These rails may be carried in any suitable manner, as suspended from a stationary structure or from the top of a gantry. Directly beneath each rail and parallel therewith is a horizontal channel-shaped beam I2 with its flanges facing downwardly, which forms the main frame for the dual hoist associated with that rail. Rigidly secured to the channel beam are standards !3 which extend upwardly from its opposite sides and rotatably carry studs 20 on which are secured wheels 2! which ride on the lower flanges of the I-beam rails.

As illustrated more particularly in Fig. 6, each standard 23 comprises an angle piece M riveted, bolted or welded to the upper face of the channel web, an outer vertical plate l5 and intermediate vertical filler pieces it, all secured together as by bolts and nuts H. The two spaced members i l and i5 provide ready means for supporting a pair of ball bearings 59, Fig. 6, in which the rotary shaft 20 is journalled.

Secured to the side flanges of each channel beam 62 and depending therefrom are brackets 3% (Figs. 1 and 4) which are provided with bottom caps 3i and bolts 32 by which they embrace and support the housing MB of the automobile-like driving mechanism. Suitably mounted in each housing to are a pair of aligned shafts, one of which is shown at 42 in Fig. '7. These shafts at their adjacent ends are rigidly connected with a suitable gear as for instance a bevel gear 45, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4), with which meshes a bevel pinion it on a driving shaft 41, though a worm and worm wheel may be employed in place of the bevel pinion and bevel gear if desired. In either case this reduction gearing is mounted in a central enlargement 4| of the housing.

Rotatably mounted on the end portions of the housing 46 are sleeves 56 (Figs. 4 and 7), supported by roller bearings 5! between the sleeve and the housing. The end of the sleeve is connected to a head on the driving shaft 32, all after the manner of automobile construction.

The driven sleeve 59 has an external annular flange 53 which is bolted to a flange 53 on a cup 69, which extends over the end of the driving axle and terminates in a coupling E i, which is connected to a short shaft 65. This shaft is supported in suitable bearings carried by standards 66 secured to the channel beam I2 and depending therefrom. Between these standards a cable drum I0 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 65. A lifting cable H is attached to the drum and makes several turns about it and depends therefrom either directly to the load or to a cradle which may be attached to the load, as desired.

The construction described provides a dual hoist adapted to raise two cables 'iI in unison whenever the driving shaft 4?, journalled in the central portion of the housing, is rotated.

The two dual hoists are identical, and are both connected in the same manner with an intermediate bridge, which extends from one dual hoist to the other. The connection between the hoists and the bridge is such that each hoist unit may be moved independent of the bridge and the other hoist unit. This bridge, which may be of light construction as it does not carry any of the load to be lifted, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a pair of side members 86, extending from beneath one crane trackway to beneath the other, cross-beams 8| connected to such side members near either end, and a pair of intermediate cross beams 32. At each end of the bridge the members extend beyond the cross beams BI and are movably connected to the channel beam of the respective dual hoist at that end, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The bridge is preferably also braced by diagonal bars 81 leading inwardly from the four corners to the transverse beams 82 adjacent their centers, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

At each end of the bridge where the cross beams 8! are located, each side bar 89 is extended by an inverted channel member 96, to which is secured a suitable downwardly extending stud 90 (Fig. 9) on which is mounted a horizontally extending roller or bushing 92 which enters a slotted opening 93 in the channel beam I2 of the respectice hoist unit. The lower face of the bushing 92 extends beneath the lower edge of the stud 90 and engages a bearing plate 94 which is welded or otherwise secured to the underface of the channel beam E2. The rollers or bushings 92 are slightly less in diameter than the width of the slots 93 and of slightly greater thickness than the web of the channel beam I2.

The slots 93 in which the circular bushings 92 seat provide a grease pocket and the bushing, held in position by the weight of the bridge, provides a. frictional contact between the four corners of the bridge and the trolley hoists and act as floating bearings, in case of cramping of the bridge, thereby decreasing the trolleying resistance due to diagonal strains on the structure. The slots 93 are preferably positioned in alignment with the Web of the trolley hoist supporting beams H1 or II and thereby so distribute the weight of the bridge on the trolley hoist mechanism as to prevent canting or tilting of the hoist.

To operate the two shafts 41, the rotation of which will turn the four drums and actuate the four cables, I provide a suitable motor I00 supported by the transverse bridge beams 82, having its armature connected to a worm IOI (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l) which meshes with a worm wheel beneath it, shown at I82 in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and contained within a casing I03. This worm wheel is on a shaft i i l journalled in the casing, and extending in each direction there from. On each side the shaft I04 is connected by a universal joint i ID to a shaft i I I, which has a telescopic connection with an aligned shaft I I2, which latter is connected by a universal joint H3 to the shaft 4'1, at that side of the crane. The universal and telescoping connection described enables the motor IE6 to drive the reduction gearing on either side which shifts relative to the bridge.

To move each dual hoist a motor is mounted thereon geared with one pair of supporting wheels. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the motor I28 is rigidly secured to the underside of the channel beam I2 near its end. On the armature shaft :ZI of this motor is a worm (not specifically shown) which meshes with a worm wheel, indicated in dotted lines at 22 in Fig. 5 and rigid on a shaft which has bearings in a casing l 24 surrounding the worm wheel and worm and furnishing means for attachment of the motor to the hoist frame 52. Rigid on the shaft I23 are pinions I25 which mesh with idlers I26, which in turn mesh with gears I21, which are rigid on shafts I 25 carrying wheels E29 which rest on the lower flange of the supporting rail ID or I I.

The idler and driven gears just described are carried by suitable standards secured to the frame. and channel beam l2. Like the standard i3 heretofore described, this standard comprises an angle piece i3 2, secured to the channel beam, spaced filler pieces iSI secured to the upright flange of the angle piece. and an external plate i312 secured to the filler piece. The gears I26 and i2? iie within the space between the two filler strips 53!. The intermediate gear I26 is shown as carried by a stud 35 mounted in the external plate 532. The upright flange of the angle piece 533 and the vertical plate E32 carry suitable ball bearings K3? in which the shaft i28 is rotatably journalled. The driving wheels I29 are so arranged as to receive sufiicient load to cause them to coact with the flange of the beams I 8 or I I under all conditions. If desired, this may be accomplished by slightly lowering the center of the wheels l 29 relative to the wheels 2 I, or by slightly increasing the diameter of the wheels I 29 over the diameter of the wheels 2!.

The construction described enables the motor I29 when energized to drive the wheels I29 through suitable reduction gearing to propel the dual hoist mounted on the channel beam !2.

When the crane is to be trolleycd for a material distance, either with or without a load supported thereby, the two motors 20 are preferably operated in unison in one direction or the other according to the direction 01' travel desired. When, however. it i desired to shift the cables at one one with reference to those at the other, to enable ready cooperation with a body out of exact registration, one of the motors is operated alone, and this shifts the dual hoist associated with that motor, with reference to the bridge and the other hoist. However, if it is desired to shift the cables at one end in a forward direction and the cables at the other end in a reverse direction,

one of the motors is operated in a reverse direction while the other motor is operated in a forward direction; this shifts one hoist forward and the other hoist rearward relative to the bridge.

The weaving operation just described, which is limited by the distance which the rollers or bushings 92 may travel in the slots 93 of the frame standards, enables the depending cables to be brought into accurate registration with a body somewhat out of parallelism with the bridge, but does not interfere with the general trolleying of the crane by its two motors, or with the raising or lowering of the load by the motor I00.

As heretofore stated, the cables 'II may depend directly to the load or to a cradle which engages the load. As illustrated in Fig. 3, I have provided a cradle I40 in the form of a rectangular frame having sheaves I 32 about which the cables pass in bights, the free ends I2 of the cables being attached to the dual hoist frame by brackets 13. Suitable shackles I45 which may depend from the journal bolts M6 of the sheaves furnish ready means for engaging the demountable body.

As illustrated in Fig. 10, B indicates a demountable body adapted to be mounted on a suitable highway truck C. This body may be provided with sockets b in its floor frame, adapted to coact with projections c on the truck to prevent lateral displacement of the body when mounted. At its eaves the body is provided with hooks b, which are adapted to be engaged by the depending shackles I45 of the floating frame Ml].

It will be seen that when a truck having the body just described is driven into place beneath and approximately registering with the bridge and the cradle lowered, the shackles may be accurately presented to the hooks by operating either one of the motors in one direction or the other to shift the two cables at that end relative to the other two, or by operating one motor in one direction and the other motor in the opposite direction.

It will be noticed that the lifting stresses on the cables II are carried directly to the dual hoist beam I2 and thence by the supporting wheels to the I-beam trackway I and ii without throwing any stresses on the bridge. The bridge merely supports the raising motor and its immediately driven mechanism and serves to keep the two dual hoists approximately opposite each other while allowing the slight weaving movement desired.

Any suitable arrangement of switches may be employed for controlling the two propelling motors, Nos. 1 and 2. Preferably, however, there is suitable means for controlling the two motors together for ordinary trolleying, and a separate control for each motor for use in weaving alone. I have illustrated in Figs. l1, l2 and 13 suitable means for this purpose in the form of a pair of independently operable drum controllers and an associated controller arranged to operate both drums in unison, but the electric connections may be made by means of push buttons or other form of switches, as desired.

Briefly, as illustrated in Fig. 13, the two motors, Nos. 1 and 2, each have their armature circuits A and field circuits F terminating at a set of contact fingers G, each set of which also includes terminals of the main lines indicated by and On each rotatable barrel H and J are two rows of contact plates K and L, which are adapted to coact with the contact fingers of their respective motors independently and control the motors for Ahead or Reverse, as indicated, each barrel being given positions indicated by a suitable handle M, Fig. 11. Thus, each motor may be operated independently of the other to facilitate operation of the hoists, especially during the weaving operations.

A third controller handle N is provided to enable the operator to control both motors as a unit during normal trolleying of the hoist. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12 the handle N is secured to a shaft I50 slidably mounted for movement parallel with the axis of the controller drums. Rigidly secured to each controller drum is a gear II both of which are arranged to be simultaneously engaged by a gear I52 carried by the shaft I50, consequent upon the depression of such shaft, thereby connecting both controller drums for operation as a unit by the handle N. Suitable interlocking cams I53 carried by the drum shafts are arranged to coact with a coacting interlocking cam I54 carried by the shaft I50 and are provided with recesses I55 which permit the sliding of the shaft I50 only when the drum controllers are in their Off position, thereby preventing damage to the parts.

It will be seen, from the description given, that I have provided a very effective hoisting mechanism adapted for raising a demountable body with its load under electric power or lowering such body onto a vehicle; while, without the necessity of any additional motor mechanism, I have provided weaving means to enable the ready registration of the lifting cables with a body which is not accurately positioned with reference to the crane trackway. The construction adapts itself for manufacture from standard structural members, standard motors, and standard driven parts of demonstrated automobile usage. The crane, being underslung from the supporting tracks, may be readily lowered to the ground for repair whenever occasion arises.

I claim:

1. The combination of two trolley hoists mounted side by side on parallel tracks, two motors for operating the trolleying mechanism of the hoists respectively, means located at a common point for controlling both motors as a unit in the same direction of travel or independently in opposite directions, or alone.

2. The combination of two dual trolley hoists mounted side by side on parallel tracks each having a pair of winding drums and driving mechanism therefor, a pair of electric motors associated with the respective hoists for trolleying the same, and means located at a common point for controlling the two motors as a unit or either of the motors alone as desired.

3. The combination of two dual trolley hoists each comprising a beam, means for movably suspending it beneath an overhead trackway, an electric motor on each beam adapted to operate the trolleying mechanism thereof, hoisting mechanism carried by each beam and having a pair of cable drums spaced apart and driving mechanism between the drums including a gear, a bridge connected with the two beams and comprising a pair of spaced beams suitably braced, a driving motor mounted on the bridge, driving mechanism leading from said motor to the said gears of the respective dual hoists, means connecting said bridge beams at one end to the frame of one of the hoists, a pair of downwardly extending members carried by the respective bridge beams at their other ends and engaging horizontally extending recesses in the other hoist frame beneath its supporting trackway, and means for controlling one of the trolleying motors independently of the other.

4. The combination of dual trolley hoists each comprising a beam having a horizontally extending web having longitudinally extending slotted recesses therein, means for movably suspending it on an overhead trackway, means on each beam adapted to operate the trolleying mechanism thereof, hoisting mechanism carried by each beam, said trolleying mechanism and said hoisting mechanism being suspended from said beam and in vertical alignment therewith, a bridge interconnecting said hoists, the connections between the bridge and each hoist including a downwardly extending pin, a bushing rotatably mounted on said pin and having its periphery spaced apart from the side and end walls of said recess and its lower face in engagement with said beam and its upper face in engagement with said bridge, whereby said bridge and beam are spaced apart from each other but movement therebetween is limited to a predetermined amount.

5. The combination of two trolley hoists, each having a frame and means for suspending it beneath a supporting trackway, a pair of electric motors associated respectively with said hoists f or trolleying them, a bridge interconnecting said hoist frames and supported thereby and having a sliding frictional contact with at least one of said frames in vertical alignment with the supporting trackway, allowing movement in the direction of travel of such hoists.

6. The combination of two dual trolley hoists mounted side by side and each having its own frame and means for suspending it beneath a trackway, a pair of cable drums spaced apart and driving mechanism between the drums on each frame, a bridge connected with the two hoist frames and comprising a pair of spaced beams with transverse beams connected to them, a driving motor mounted on the bridge, powertransmission mechanism leading from said motor to the driving mechanism of the respective dual hoists, and means connecting said bridge beams at one end to the frame of one of the hoists, said bridge beams overlying the frame of the other hoist beneath the trackway centrally thereof and in such region slidably connected with and supported by the last mentioned frame.

'7. A hoisting mechanism adapted to be suspended from a pair of overhead trackways, each trackway including a vertical beam having a central vertical web with outwardly extending flanges, a trolley hoist mechanism carried by each trackway and suspended therebeneath, each trolley comprising a longitudinal beam beneath its respective trackway, and spaced therefrom, brackets carried by said beam and wheels mounted on said brackets and engaging opposite flanges of the trackway, a hoisting unit suspended beneath each beam, a bridge interconnecting the beams of both of said trolley hoists, the connection between one of said beams and the bridge comprising a member projecting between the beam and its respective trackway, and means interconnectin the beam and bridge to permit a limited movement therebetween, said last named means being positioned in vertical alignment with the web of the respective tracliway.

8. In combination, a pair of trolley hoisting mechanisms centrally suspended from overhead parallel track members, a bridge member spanning both mechanisms and having a floating connection with one of them bearing on the same in substantially vertical alignment with the axis of the track member thereof, and power mechanism on the bridge member with connections for driving the hoisting mechanisms.

9. The combination of two trolley hoists, each having its own frame, a bridge supported by the frames of said hoists, and supporting, guiding and floating connections with each of the hoists at two spaced regions longitudinally of the hoists, said connections: including limiting means to allow limited independent movement of each hoist with reference to the bridge.

10. In combination with two independently movable parallel spaced trolley hoists, each having its own frame, a bridge having floating linear guiding connections with both frames, spaced in the direction of travel of the hoists so as to maintain the various parts of the bridge at all times substantially parallel to the hoists and to maintain a four point suspension for the bridge.

11. In hoisting mechanism, two independently movable laterally spaced parallel trolley hoists, each having a frame and raising mechanism, a bridge spanning the hoists, means supportingly and ficatingly connecting the bridge to both frames at two regions of each spaced longitudinally of the direction of trolleying of the hoists, and power mechanism on the bridge intermediately of said regions and having flexible driving conn ctions with the raising mechanisms of the hoists.

12. The combination of two trolley hoists havi individual frames and adapted to operate on 'irallel trackways, transverse bridge extending between the trackways and connected with and supported by the frames of the two hoists, the connection to each of the hoists being in spaced regions longitudinally of the trackways said connections including relatively slidable supporting members on the bridge and hoists adapted to allow limited independent movement of both hoists relative to the bridge in the direction of travel of the hoists, and independent means for operating the trolleying mechanism of said hoists respectively.

13. The combination of a pair of dual hoists adapted to be mounted on parallel trackways, each hoist frame comprising a longitudinal beam, means for suspending it from the corresponding trackway, raising mechanism on the underside of the beam, a transverse bridge, and means supporting and connecting the same at two longitudinally spaced points with each of the two beams, the connecting means including relatively slidable coacting members on the bridge and beams arranged to allow limited independent movement between the connected parts, a motor on the bridge, reduction gearing driven thereby, and shaft mechanism connecting the reduction gearing with the raising mechanism of the two hoists, the shaft connection employing telescopic shafts and two universal joints.

14. The combination of two dual trolley hoists, each having its own frame carrying a pair of cable drums and driving mechanism for rotating them as a unit, a bridge spanning the two hoists, floating guiding connections between the bridge and each of the hoists, means to limit the floating movement between the bridge and hoists, electric motor mechanism on the bridge connected with the driving mechanism of both hoists, individual trolleying mechanism for the respective hoists and a pair of electric motors located on the respective hoist frames for operating the trolleying mechanism thereof, means for controlling both motors as a unit in the same direction, means for controlling each of said motors alone, and means for operating one of said motors in one direction While the other motor is being operated in a reverse direction.

15. In a dual trolley hoist, comprising two hoisting units each having a frame, and means for suspending the frames from respective overhead trolley tracks, a bridge connecting the two frames, and a connection between the bridge and one of said frames permitting movement of one frame with reference to the other longitudinally of the tracks, said connection comprising an elongated upwardly open recess on one frame and a guiding device on the bridge slidably occupying the recess, said recess forming an oil retaining pocket to lubricate the guiding device.

16. In combination, a pair of trolley hoisting mechanisms respectively centrally suspended from overhead parallel track members, a bridge member spanning both mechanisms and having a floating connection with one of them, said float-v ing connection includingv means on the bridge member bearing on the mechanism to which connected symmetrically with reference to the axis of the suspending track member, whereby a load on the bridge will not rock the suspended mechanism in either direction, and power mechanism on the bridge member for driving the hoisting mechanisms.

RAGNAR A. NORBOM. 

